Yoxi: A Creative Game for Social Change
by Maria PopovaHow to solve the world’s problems by harnessing human nature.
We’ve already seen how games can increase our productivity and enlist crowd support for causes. Now, a new platform is setting out to apply the principles of gaming to innovation and social change. Yoxi (pronounced YO-see) is a creative competition and a social game, rallying teams of problem-solvers to compete against each other in solving major challenges of our time. The winner walks away with startup funds between $5,000 and $40,000, depending on community votes, and connection opportunities with thought leaders and influencers.
Part OpenIDEO, part Kickstarter, Yoxi enlists two fundamental parts of human nature — the competitive streak and the need for play — in tackling serious and complex issues, starting with reinventing fast food.
Yoxi is essentially a game of strategy. It blends traditional gaming elements like points and levels with traditional social elements like user votes in a model that’s part gaming, part crowdfunding, part collaborative problem-solving. Give it a shot.
Bonus points for an error page that made us smile.
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